President Joaquín Balaguer has instructed the National Budget Director to give RD$1,000,000 to the Office of Supervising Engineers for Public Works as an advance to begin construction of two new fire stations in Santo Domingo. One will be in Sabana Perdida and the other in Los Alcarrizos. It is hoped that these new stations will take some of the burden off of the Brigade’s headquarters on the corner of Avenida Mella and Calle Mercedes, and the substations in Ensanche Ozama and on John F. Kennedy near Ensanche La Fe. It is also hoped that the new stations will help the Brigade come out of the financial straits that have plagued it to the point where, at the beginning of this year, firemen were forced to sell raffle tickets in the street in an attempt to raise funds; the scheme was stopped after two weeks, however, due to a lack of sales.
Meanwhile, a potential scandal has unfolded with the claim by the current Fire Chief, General Hugo Adolfo Arriaga, that his predecessor, General Luis Rafael (Lilin) Diaz solicited a commission for two trucks purchased in the United States in 1992. General Diaz has denied any knowledge of the matter.
12-18 April 1996